THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM
by Sedanur
Summary: Aurah moves to Tri-Cities to be close the love of her life... Ben. But, will this NYC girl be able to fit in with eastern Washington life? Moreover, an unexpected visitor pops up in town to ask for Ben's help!
1. INTRO

**THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM**

Based on the books of Mercy Thompson Series

All the characters belong to Patricia Briggs, except for Castle Family, Mitchell Dane & others.

**SUMMARY:** Aurah moves to Tri-Cities to be close to the love of her life… Ben. But, will this New York City girl be able to fit in with Tri-Cities and get used to being someone's mate?

When Samuel and Ariana decide to live together, Aurah finally finds the reason which she has been looking for to move into Ben's place. But on one condition! She has to give her word to her mother that she won't sleep with Ben!

While the young lovers struggle to resist their overwhelming desire for each other, an unexpected visitor from New York comes to Ben's door, asking for help... Mitchell Dane, a close friend of Richard Castle and the owner of a billion-dollar company, is desperately trying to access information which is locked by some hackers inside a complicated computer system that contains mountains of his trade secrets and his money. He wants to hire Ben, our computer genius, to help him get into the system!

* * *

Hello!

I guess you might like this idea that I've come up with and I hope it works out well like _Unthinkable._ I may not be so quick on the updates this time because I have school works, exams, etc :( I would like you to share your comments about the story. Please, review!

Why Rated M? Because I'm gonna try to push (the edge of) the envelope in this story :)

P.S. As you know, nothing can inspire me the way Alicia Keys songs do. LOL

Okay. Here we go again…


	2. Chapter 1

(**Soundtrack:** "Love Is My Disease" – Alicia Keys)

Aurah turned on the portable CD player and jumped on the bed. She started staring at the ceiling, lying on the bed, spread arms. She thought of her _mate._

"Mate," she murmured to herself. This word was still a little odd to her ears. But it was definitely stronger than "boyfriend." After a lovely evening they spent together, they had to take their separate ways home as usual. This was so… unfair! The time they spent together was always too short.

She took her jeans off and threw it on the floor. Air from the window blew on her bare legs. She shivered.

She'd never felt this way before. She had never dreamed of anyone like this before. She wondered if Ben was feeling the same, if he was dreaming of her lying naked in his bed…

Listening to the soft music, she closed her eyes and lapsed into her sweet dreams…

**10 a.m. **

"Aurah, wake up!" A hand patted on the top of her head.

When Aurah opened her eyes, yawning, she saw Samuel standing by her bed.

"Samuel, what do you want?" She usually called him "dad" except for the moments she was angry at him. And seemingly, this was one those moments.

"Get dressed and come downstairs. We have an important guess who has been dying meet you for a long time."

"Make him wait for an extra hour. I was in the middle of something," Aurah replied, holding her pillow.

"Okay." Samuel sighed. "I'll go tell him that you are interested in meeting your grandfather, the Marrok."

Aurah held her pillow more tightly. "Oh, really? I've been living here for almost 3 months now. Where was his mind at until now?"

"Aurah, please don't be mean towards him." Samuel kneeled down on the carpet as if he was begging her. "He's so excited about seeing you. Please, don't ruin this moment for him."

Aurah finally gave up being stubborn and sat up. "All right… I'll be there in ten minutes. Could you leave me alone now?"

"My baby girl," Samuel said, placing a sweet kiss on her forehead. "Don't be late!"

After Samuel walked out of the room, Aurah imitated his Welsh accent humorously: "Don't be late!"

She hopped out of the bed and took off her pyjamas. She washed her face in her bathroom. While she was brushing her teeth, she checked her cell phone; _1 message received_ from Ben:

"_I'm working part-time on Saturday. Lunch-movie-dinner?" _

The devil flew into Aurah's mind. As she kept on brushing her teeth, she wrote her reply:

"_Love making?"_

Ben was working in his office at the moment. When he read the message, his face blushed. He immediately wrote a reply:

"_Do you really want me to get tortured and killed by either Angelina or Samuel?" _

Aurah burst out laughing. She quit pressing him. She just wrote:

"_I missed you."_

Then she put her cell phone back into the drawer and went downstairs to meet her _new_ grandfather.

A young man in his late twenties was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of hot chocolate. Samuel was absent.

When he heard Aurah racing down the steps, he turned his head to look at her. His face changed suddenly when he saw her.

"Jesus Christ! Samuel was right. You look adorable," he said, staring and smiling at the chubby girl who had chocolate-brown hair and honey-colored eyes.

Aurah stared back at him, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "What did you expect?"

His smile widened. "I don't know. I've never seen a half-vampire before."

Aurah put her hands in her pockets. "Well, I've never seen a Marrok before," she winsomely said.

Bran was bewildered that she didn't drop her gaze as she spoke. He arose from his chair and came to her side. He extended his hand. "I guess you're Aurah?"

"Who wants to know?" Aurah mischievously asked.

"Sorry, I've forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Bran Cornick."

She shook his hand politely. "It's a Welsh name, right? I guess it means the father of Caradoc or Caradawc."

Bran's eyes glittered. "That's correct," he said, smiling. His smile was as powerful as his stare, but Aurah didn't look away. Bran was almost shaken. "I thought Samuel was overestimating when he was telling how smart you were. But, obviously you're even smarter than we think."

"Thanks, Mr. Cornick." Aurah gave a thin smile.

Bran's face fell. "I'd like you to call me 'grandpa' if you please."

"Well… We've just met. I guess I need some time for that. Besides, you look too young to be grandfather. I can't imagine myself calling you 'grandpa."

Bran laughed up his sleeve.

Aurah started making tea for herself as Bran was sat seated on his chair again at the kitchen table.

"Aurah is an extraordinary name, too," he mildly said. "What does it mean?"

"Well, the origin of my name is Slavic," Aurah replied, steeping the tea in the kettle. "It means either _beautiful morning_ or _morning star_."

"Impressive." Bran nodded. He was very interested.

"Did you know that the name has a certain effect on one's personality?" Aurah asked. "Some researchers say there is an unusual association between a name of a person and his/her personality."

"I guess I've heard that before."

"It's also mentined in some holly books."

"Are you religious?"

"I… I believe in God… Divine justice, heaven and hell… I've been to church; I've been to mosque as well. I guess I'm a universal believer." She shrugged her shoulders.

"You're a puzzle indeed!" Bran shook his head with admiration.

"So…" Aurah said with a suspicious glance, pouring the hot tea in her cup. "Did you come all the way from Montana just to see me?"

"You're the first and the most important reason for me to come here," Bran said sincerely.

"What is the second one?" Aurah became curious.

"My son's engagement," Bran calmly said as he took a sip of his hot chocolate.

Aurah dropped the tea cup on the floor, shouting: "What engagement?"

Bran's eyes smoldered. "You didn't know?"

At the instant, Samuel ran into the kitchen with a loaf of freshly-baked bread in his hands.

"What's going on? I heard a noise!" He anxiously asked, looking at the broken tea cup on the floor.

Staring at Samuel, Aurah creaked her teeth. "Who's engaging to who?"

Samuel glanced at Bran with a disappointed face. "Did you have to tell her?"

Bran was as much puzzled as upset. "I didn't know that you hadn't told her, yet. You should have told her days ago!"

"So, you're engaging to Ariana?" Aurah said angrily.

"Baby girl, I was going to tell you–"Samuel reached for Aurah's hand but she backed away.

"When exactly were you going to tell me? At the ceremony?" Aurah yelled.

Then she turned around and raced up the stairs. She went in her room and locked the door. Samuel ran after her.

"Aurah, please, let me explain!" He desperately said as he knocked on her door.

"Leave me alone, Samuel! Nothing you say can settle me down right now."

Bran followed them to upstairs. He patted on Samuel's shoulder with a fatherly kindness and compassion.

"I screwed up everything, huh, dad?" Samuel said to him, sounding tired.

"Give the girl a break, Samuel," he said. "The situation is not as desperate as it seems. When she calms down, she will talk to you. She'll forgive you eventually."

"I don't know why I couldn't tell her." Samuel covered his face with his hands.

"Because you're afraid of her," Bran said. He wasn't joking. He was so serious.

"Am I?" Samuel was shocked by the truth.

"Yes, you are. It's normal. She's a force of nature. You should have seen how she played dominance with me before you came. She didn't drop her gaze for one split second!"

"Is she as dominant as you?" Samuel asked, trying hard to recover from his shock.

Bran put his arm around his son's shoulder.

"This girl is a little monster, son!" He whispered. This time he was just joking…


	3. Chapter 2

**2 Weeks Later**

Samuel parked his white BMW in front of the house. He hopped out and gently opened the passenger door for Ariana as he always did.

Aurah watched them get into the house from her window. It had been two weeks since Ariana and Samuel announced their engagement and one week since she moved in with Samuel.

She was a nice woman (fae), but she wasn't Aurah's mother. And no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to break down Aurah's walls since Aurah hadn't spoken to them one word for days.

Samuel was waiting patiently for the day Aurah would finally embrace Ariana as a friend, or an older sister, or a step mother… But Aurah was way too stubborn.

Angelina wasn't helping much with that. And Richard… Well, Richard didn't like Samuel one bit. So, he was just saying:

"As long as he stays away from Angelina, he can do whatever he wants. I don't care."

Aurah sighed and got in the kitchen while Samuel and Ariana sat on the couch, watching TV. Samuel wrapped his arms around his fiancé. They were chatting about how the day was.

Aurah suddenly rushed into the living room. Grabbing the remote on the table, she turned the volume down. She stood right in front of them, crossing her arms.

"I'm sick of this."

Samuel and Ariana were shaken. Samuel slightly sat up, pulling his arms away from Ariana. He became pale with an open mouth.

Aurah looked at them intensely, neither severe, nor badly. Just cold, like an ice cube. She continued:

"I have a decision," she sharply said. "If I have to respect your choices, then you'll have to respect mine. I'm moving into Ben's place!"

Samuel jumped to his feet, saying: "Shall we talk about this outside, baby girl?"

Aurah extended his arm to the garden's direction quizzically. The look on her face was quite serious, though.

Soon as they walked out, Samuel closed the glass door, giving a thin smile to Ariana who was watching them with a worried look upon her face.

"Aurah, you don't know what you're talking about," Samuel calmly said.

"I know what I want; I know what I DON'T want. And what I don't want is share the same house with you and your fiancé!"

"Shhhh!" Samuel put a finger on Aurah's lips. "She'll hear you."

"I don't give a damn!"

"Why are you so cruel to her? She likes you so much. Each time she tries to break the ice, you're giving her the cold shoulder."

"If the apple likes me, do I have to like it, too?"

"What's that supposed to mean now?" Samuel rolled his eyes.

Aurah curled a lip smugly. "I wasn't expecting you to understand, anyway… I'm telling you that I'm going to move in with Ben." She crossed her arms again. "And I'm considerate enough to inform you beforehand, contrary to what you did."

Samuel blushed. A sweat drop distiled from his forehead. He wiped it away with his hand.

"Then, I'm afraid you're gonna have to go back to New York. Moving in with Ben is out of question!" Samuel said, sounding somewhat hurt. Looking at the chubby girl in front of him, he fought the feeling of holding her tight, kissing her forehead and telling her how long he had waited for a wonderful child like her. But he remained his stability.

Aurah, blocked on every front, sweetly started crying. Her baby face became even younger as if she was eight years old.

Samuel suddenly hauled down his flag. He took his daughter into his arms, drying her tears.

He put his hand under her chin. "Let's make a deal, baby girl," he softly said. "Call your mother and tell her about your future plans. If she says 'Okay', I promise I'm not going to stop you from moving in with your… mate." His teeth were creaked a little bit while saying the word "mate".

Samuel was so sure that Angelina would say a big "NO".

Aurah, being satisfied with the deal, slightly nodded. After they got back inside the house, she rushed to call New York.

Ariana looked behind her as she raced up the stairs. Then she turned to Samuel and said:

"I hope you weren't so harsh to her."

"Just a little bit," Samuel replied, sitting on the couch with a sigh. He threw his feet over the edge.

"I can't let her manipulate me in everything she wants to do."

Ariana tittered. "She's eighteen. The girls of her age are good at manipulating boys, you know."

"Aurah is so much more than that. Mark my word." Samuel heaved a sigh. "Even Bran was affected when they first met." He leaned forward and took the remote. He turned up the volume. "Anyway, we closed a deal. She's going to ask her mother for permission to move in with Ben. And I'm one hundred percent sure that Angelina is going to say 'No!"

"What if she doesn't?" Ariana asked.

Samuel curled a lip. "She's more protective than I am. Aurah has no luck!"

"Maybe she's able to manipulate her mother, too, sometimes," Ariana warned him.

The panic swelled in Samuel heart…

But it was too late. Aurah had already dialed her grandfather's mobile. Richard picked up the phone happily:

"HEY! What's up, baby girl?"

"Not bad. How are you doing, grandpa?"

"What do you mean not bad? Aren't you happy?"

"I'm happy," Aurah muttered. "…If I don't count my father's stupid engagement ceremony."

"Uhh, same old story. Get over it, Aurah," Richard said, throwing his head to back. "Let them live their lives."

"Listen, grandpa, I called to ask my mom something. Is she around?"

"Yes, actually she's extending her hand to take the phone right now." Richard laughed.

"I missed you grandpa. Love you."

"Love you, too," Richard said and gave his cell phone to Angelina.

"Aurah, baby, is there something wrong?" Angelina asked anxiously.

The devil flew into Aurah's mind. She bit her lip before she opened her mouth to run a big story.

"Mom, I can't sleep at nights," she mildly said.

Angelina's eyebrows flew up. "Why? Are you ill? Insomnia?"

"No, it's not me. It's them; Samuel and Ariana. They're making noise at night."

Angelina swallowed. "What kind of noise is that?"

Aurah pretended like she was groping for words:

"You know… While they're making love, they're becoming loud. I'm tired of trying to sleep with the headphones in my ears."

Angelina was heated. She took a deep breath to calm down.

"I'm gonna call Samuel now," she callously said.

Aurah rushed. "No, no! Please! If you call him and tell him now, he'll probably think as if I eavesdropped through their bedroom wall and he'll get upset with me. Can we just solve this between us?"

"What do you want me to do?" Angelina asked in bewilderment.

"Well… I was thinking… Maybe it will be better if I change my quarters… I can be happier someplace else…"

"Do you want to live on your own?"

"Not exactly," Aurah murmured.

"Then what-"Angelina suddenly paused, cause she understood. She paused for a moment before she began to speak again. "You want to move in with Ben, don't you?"

"Mama, please, please, please!" Aurah started begging winsomely.

"What does Samuel say about this?"

"He said he wouldn't stop me if I get your permission."

"What? Is that what he exactly said?"

"Yes."

Angelina remained silent for a few seconds. Then she heaved a sigh of annoyance.

"Well, okay then. You're gonna have my permission."

Aurah jumped on the bed. "Are you serious, mom?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I am… But I have a condition!"

Aurah, sounding too happy, said: "Okay, shoot it!"

"Ben is not going to touch your hair or your hand. Do you understand this, baby?"

Aurah swallowed. "Yeah, I think I understand."

"Good!" Angelina approved.

Aurah said nothing, just made a lip.

"Hey!" Angelina yelled. "What happened to the virgin's manifesto? _Wait until marriage… _You've changed your mind?"

"No, I haven't," Aurah sulkily said.

"No problem then."

"Yeah, no problem." Aurah nodded… unhappily.


	4. Chapter 3

(**Soundtrack:** "Did You See Me Coming? – Pet Shop Boys)

Sunday morning in the apartment.

Ben made his way to the kitchen for a morning snack after he had a warm shower. He sent a text message to Aurah. No reply…

He put the kettle on the kitchener. He seemed to be breaking his coffee habit and going back to his British roots since he'd met Aurah. Now he was only drinking tea in the mornings.

While he sat on the couch and turned on the TV, waiting for the tea to get steeped, he called Aurah's mobile once more; Busy tone…

In the meantime, a white BMW came in front of the apartment complex. The passenger door opened and a Aurah hopped out. Samuel was on the driver's seat. No one had ever seen him that concentrated, and determined. His face looked sixty-year-old. He was sitting immobile, holding on the steering wheel with a worried look upon his face.

"Are you coming?" Aurah shouted at him.

Samuel shook his head. He opened the door and hopped out. He pulled the boot open and took Aurah's suitcase out.

"Thanks. I think I can handle the rest," Aurah said, turning left to go inside the building. But Samuel stopped her.

"I have a word or two to say to Ben," he said in a serious manner.

Aurah looked at his eyes, without challenge, and just shrugged. They walked side by side as they got inside the building and went to the third floor. Samuel nervously knocked the door.

Noise from the door; Ben switched the television off. He walked to the door and slowly unlocked the lock**. **When he pulled the door open, his face was as much bewildered as enlightened. Aurah was standing at the door, looking innocently. And her father, Samuel, with a nervous look upon his face was standing next to her, carrying a suitcase.

"Good morning." Aurah grinned at him.

"G… Good… Good Morning," Ben stuttered.

Samuel was stunned by Ben's shock towards Aurah's arrival. He gazed at her.

"Didn't you tell him?"

Aurah shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted to surprise him."

Samuel watched Ben as his face blushed like ketchup.

"Surprise me for what?" Ben shyly asked.

Samuel raised an eyebrow. "Aurah decided to live with you."

Even a blind man could see that Ben's heart was about to pop out of his chest.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, mother-fucker fucking fuck!_

His face was so blushed that one could think that he was having a heart attack. Aurah smiled cunningly as if she read his mind.

"Aren't you gonna let us in, Ben?" She mildly asked.

Ben stepped back to a side. "Sorry… Please come in."

Samuel left Aurah's suitcase on the hall and went inside the living room. Ben with a worried frown, and Aurah with a cunning smirk, followed him.

"How come you don't call Ben to tell him that you are coming?" Samuel asked Aurah irascibly.

Aurah preserved her composure. "But it wouldn't have been a surprise if I had told him, dad."

"It would have been only fair if you had warned him beforehand."

Ben was still trying hard to recover from his shock. _Aurah? Living with him? In his apartment?_

Samuel came to his feet and stood against Ben. Even though Ben was actually taller than him, Samuel's aura was stronger – which was making him look larger.

"I'll say it once, don't make me say it twice," Samuel said with a voice as cold as ice. "If I ever see one single tear drop in her eyes, I'll rip your head off. Are we clear?"

_Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm so fucked._ Ben swallowed hard. "Clear."

Samuel bent and placed a kiss on Aurah's forehead. "You're going to call me and your mother once in a day. Okay?"

"Well, mom said 'twice'," Aurah replied, grinning.

Samuel gave a tiny smile at her before he turned around and left. Aurah waved her hand at him from the kitchen window as he got into his car and drove away.

Aurah closed the window and turned around with a cunning smile on her face. Ben was standing by the fridge with an open mouth.

"Aurah, what have you done?"

"What have I done?" She shrugged mischievously. "I've just moved into your apartment."

"Without obtaining my permission or at least letting me know?"

Aurah's face fell. She innocently sat crossed leg on the chair.

"You don't want me?"

Ben sat next to her and cupped her face.

"Of course I want you… I've never wanted anyone or anything like this… But I don't know if you can be happy here. Can you? After your grandfather's Manhattan residence and Samuel's luxury house?"

Aurah raised her head and looked into his eyes, cracking a smile. "Ben, I know… I was born privileged. But that doesn't mean that I'm a spoiled, sourpuss home cat. I can leave my posh habits like I left New York." She jumped to her feet and began to pace up and down the rooms as she kept on speaking. "And since I'm a girl who is in favor of being modest, this apartment fits me like a glove. Maybe just a couple of changes; a new couch, a new carpet… I can't wait to show you my interior decoration talents. I love this apartment. I love that I can ride my bike in the driveway. I love that I'm gonna sleep only one room away from you… This apartment seems to look spectacular with Christmas lights. It's a home. I don't wanna go back. But the thing I think I like best about this apartment is the scent I catch when I walk through the door; your scent…

A tear drop slid down along Ben's cheeks. He turned his back in order to hide his eyes which were becoming bleary.

Aurah stopped by the bathroom door. She pulled it open and looked inside.

"Oh, I missed this bathroom... You know, some things are unforgettable; like a girl's first period." She tittered.

Ben rubbed his face quickly in order to clean it of any evidence of tears. He walked out of the kitchen, saying:

"Speaking of the bathrooms, I'd like to mention that there is only one of them in this apartment."

Aurah ran to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"It's okay. I gladly share the bath tub with you."

Ben heaved a sigh of surrender. He looked up at the ceiling, invoking God's pity…


	5. Chapter 4

HEY, take a look and tell me what u think of it :)** www dailymotion com/video/xfj7mz_ben-part-2_music**

**2 DAYS LATER**

Aurah was still asleep when her cell phone began to rang instantly. She arose from the bed in slow motion and put on her slippers. She took the phone out of the drawer and yawned before she hit the answer button.

"Good morning, my baby girl," a sweet voice talked.

"Hey mama!" Aurah yawned once more. "Did you see me in your night mare?"

Angelina laughed. "Ha ha! I knew that you were asleep but I had to call this early because I'm going to Montreal today for an art exhibition."

"Oh, Montreal!" Aurah heaved a sigh. "I love that city. I wish I were there."

Angelina curled a lip. "Well, you could have been… But, you chose to lead a rural life, so…"

"Mom, please don't talk like that."

"I just feel sad for you. You're going to miss all the art exhibitions, movie premiers and New York Fashion Weeks… Oh, you do love fashion weeks."

"Don't feel sad for me, mom. I'm so happy," Aurah sincerely said.

Okay, if you say so," Angelina muttered. "Hey! Did you check out the website of Princeton University?"

"I've already made my application for on-line education."

"Good. I'm sure you're gonna be accepted. I mean, even Yale welcomed you – but you turned down. Why not Princeton?"

"Mom, enough! I'm so happy right now. Don't try to ruin it. Besides I have a long life to live and to work and to study. Why is the rush?"

"Do as you please," Angelina mildly said. "You know I'll support you, no matter what."

"I know, mama." Aurah smiled. She put a small tea bag into the kettle as she spoke. "At least just to be polite, aren't you gonna ask how Ben is?"

"Who is Ben?"

"Oh!"

"Uhh, yeah, your British lover… So...uh...How is he?"

"He's fine, so considerate and sweet. Thanks for asking."

"He is not touching you, is he?"

"No!" Aurah creaked her teeth. "As I've said a hundred times before, we sleep in different rooms and he's being so careful about not making any sexual overtures towards me."

"I'm glad to hear that," Angelina listlessly said. "I must hang up cause I've got to go pack my bags now."

"Okay. Say 'hi' to grandpa from me. Love you both."

"Love you, too. Bye."

After she hung up, Aurah poured the tea in her cup and went to living room to watch the morning news.

**BEN'S** **OFFICE**

Ben was at work, relieved to be finishing the two days work earlier for the Pacific Northwest Nation Laboratory.

The Office boy stopped by his office to deliver some new folders. While he was putting them on the desk, his eyes caught the sight of a small picture in a shiny gray frame.

"Wow, who is this chico?" He asked with a winsome Mexican accent.

Ben raised his head from his computer and gave him a sharp look. The boy immediately dropped his gaze.

"She's my girlfriend." There were happiness and pride in his voice.

The boy's eyes smoldered. "You've got a girlfriend?" He started grinning.

"What are you grinning at?"

The boy shook his head to stop grinning. "It is great… No. It's a miracle that there is one of a female kind, who thinks you're loveable, on earth."

Ben grabbed an empty folder and threw it to the boy quizzically. "Get out, Rodriquez!"

"Don't forget to lock all the doors before she ran from you, amigo!"

"I said get out!" Ben yelled.

The boy walked away, laughing. Two minutes later, one of Ben's co-workers, Darryl, came in. He was not only Adam's second in the pack, but also the man who got Ben in this job.

Ben didn't stood up but he sat up a little bit when he saw him walk into the door. Darryl was not very talkative and he passed greeting part and labored the point as usual:

"Pacific International Bank asked us to hook up an X-dot connection to their European subsidiary. They wanted to interface with standard European protocol that you're familiar with. Can you set them up?"

Ben smiled smugly. "Consider it done."

"Good." Just when he was about to go, he turned towards Ben again. "You were absent at the hunt yesterday. Where were you?"

"I took Aurah to the mall."

"Hmm, I see. Jeremy joked about you all evening long."

"Ahhh, that little bastard just likes bugging me. Do you know what he calls me? '_Vampire lover'_! Either you pipe him down or I will!"

A thin smile yanked the corners of Darryl's mouth. "I'll take care of him."

"Thanks," Ben formally said. "See you tomorrow."

**BEN'S APARTMENT **

Aurah went through the pages of the home magazines. She was thinking of something for the apartment... Maybe a new couch, or a cool dinner table, or just an art painting…

Angelina must have been on her way to Montreal by now, she thought. They used to go to those art exhibitions together. Sometimes Richard joined them. Those were the most enjoyable short vacations she had.

She turned on her mini notebook aimlessly. When she checked her mail box, she saw a new e-mail from her friend Clarissa who had been in France for a few weeks and now was trying to contact Aurah. Aurah wrote her new mobile number and sent it. Only two minutes afterwards, her cell phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey! It's me, Clarissa."

"Hi! I was thinking of giving you a call. It's been ages since I last heard from you. Did you make it back from France?"

"Yes, we just came back to New York yesterday. And you're absent! What did you do? I called your house and Dr. Castle said you had moved to Tri-Cities!"

"That's right. I'm a permanent resident of Tri-Cities now," Aurah said, laughing.

"Fortunately, I remembered that you'd given me the phone number to your father's house. I phoned there. A woman answered the phone and she said you didn't live there anymore!"

"Yeah, she's my father's fiancée." Aurah rolled her eyes.

"Your father's fiancé? Gosh! Is he getting married? So where do you live now? You live on your own?"

"No…" Aurah bit her lip, grinning.

"Oh My effing God! Whom do you live with? With that cute blond you were talking about?"

"Yes." Aurah smiled. "He's my mate now. I moved to his apartment last week."

"Mate? Dude, you sound like a speaker from Discovery Channel. What is that supposed to mean?"

"All right, hold on! He's a werewolf."

"What the fuck? Have you gone crazy? Remember what our school counselor said; Werewolves are dangerous!"

"They're not as bad-ass as they look… and not necessarily dangerous. Even Angelina gave me a little credit after they met."

"I can't believe this! What is so special about him?"

"He's so real… I just… I see through him. I didn't think I believed in love until I met Ben. He's not like any other boy I've ever known. Besides, I'm not going to lose my identity with him because he's not some overpowering, super-dominant werewolf. He's like… uh… Richard! Except he is a bit foul-mouthed." Aurah tittered.

"Cool… I mean wow! Virgin Maria has a mate! That's unbelievable! Are you letting him hold your hand?" Clarissa laughed silently.

"Are you kidding me?" Aurah smugly replied. "I said I live with him."

"Uuh, girl! Tell me everything! Did he get into your box?"

"What?"

Clarissa sighed. "Did you sleep with or not?"

"No." Aurah bit her lip. "Not yet."

"Why not?"

"Angelina rule!"

"Oh, I see," Clarissa tittered. "It's incredible that she even let you move in with your werewolf boyfriend in the first place."

"I know. But I would have moved in with him anyway even if the whole world had come against with me."


End file.
